Veneer machine knife clamp



Dec. 13, 1932. F. Koss. JR

VENEER MACHINE KNIFE CLAMP Filed March 28, 1932 mn r w m patented Dec. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES Param," ori-'ics LOUIS F. KOSS, JR., OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO CAPITAL MACHINE COMPANY, OIE' INDIANAPOLIS; INDIANA, A CORPORATION `VENIEER MACHINE KNIFE CLAMP Application led March 28, 1932. Serial No. 601,473."

rl`his invention relates to the art of veneer cutting machine knives and particularly to means for attaching and supporting the knife. The cutting knife on a veneer machine as- `:Q15 sumes considerable length and unless it is rigidly supported throughout its entire length and width there is an inclination for it to chatter and thus give a poor quality of veneer. Also the knife being of considerable size represents a large initial investment in cost and it is Atherefore desirable to use the knife until its Width is practically ground away under repeated sharpening of the cutting edge. Where the knife itself has been slotted below the cutting edge to receive retaining bolts therethrough, the usefulness of the knife is at an end by the time the cutting edge has been ground back to these slots, and it is one object of my invention to pro- 20 vide clamping means for retaining the knife whereby a solid knife without slots ,may be employedthus rendering much more of the knife blade available for use.

Another important obj ectof my invention is to provide a combination of lateral clamping and vertical adjustment and support of the knife whereby engaging clamps may be loosely brought up initially against the knife to support it laterally and the knife raised 30 or lowered as may be required to properly locate the line of the cutting edgev and nally to have the clamps tightened snugly against the knifeto force'the knife rigidly against the knife holding bar in such a manner that i feeler gages may be employed to detect cleary tion `is to provide knife retaining clamps of such character that upon removing or replac- ,ing a knife, the clamps do notY have to bere- 'moved but merely loosened, and that access may be had to the knife lso that may read- `5,0 ily be grasped from underits lower edge to be lifted from between the clamps and knife bar or let down therebetween. Y

These and other objects and advantages such as the particular method of retaining the knife clamps in the loosened position will become apparent in the following description of the invention, in which Fig. 1 is a frontl elevation of a fragmentary length of a knife assembly embodying my invention; v i

Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section on the line 2 2 in F ig. 1; and

Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1. l

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawing. v l

I employ a cutting knife l0 having a substantial vertical width and provide a mounting bar 11 with a vertical Vsurface against which the back face of the knife may be placed. Below this surface, I provide a forwardly extending ledge 12 along which, in uniform spaced relation, are a number of sleeves 13 vertically lpositioned within the ledge and each screw-threadedly carrying a vertically disposed set screw 14, on which the bottom edge .of the knife 10 may rest.

I form a plurality of knife clamps 15 each to have a rear-face of considerable area adapted to bear against the front side of the knife 10 and to have a horizontal shoulder 16 below that face to rest o-n the ledge 12 in front of the sleeves 151 rIhe inner side of each clamp is recessed below the shoulder 16 to give substantial clearance therebelow about the vledge 12, and the clamp is carried on down below the ledge a substantial distance.` At the lower end of each clamp 15, a foot 17 eX- tends laterally from one s'de and a foot 18l from the other side so that asthe clamps are placed along the ledge 12 and brought laterally toward each other, an extending foot from the lower end of one clamp contacts with the corresponding foot of the `adjacent f clamp and thus spaces the clamps apartone from another a distance equal to the length of two feet.

Each clamp 15 is provided with two horizontally spacedapart, Vhorizontally disposed ,1100 Y under the knife 10 and screw-threadedly entered into the bar 11 therebehind. The outer ends of the holes 19 are spherically enlarged and the under sides of the heads of the bolts 20 are spherically formed to Vseat in the sockets thus formed in the outer ends of the holes. Toward the lower ends of the clamps 15, two spaced apart set screws 21 are screw-threadedly passed through the clamp to have their inner ends abut the bar 11 which. extends downwardly below the ledge 12.

In operating my invention, the `bolts 20 and set screws 21 are loosened to allow the upper portions of the clamps 15 to swing outwardly away from the knife holding bar 11. The knife 10 is let down between the clamps 15 and the bar 11 to have its lower edge rest across the heads of the set screws 14. These screws 14 are adjusted to bring the top cutting edge of the knife to the desired elevation. By reason of the clamps 15 being'spaced apart by the feet 17 and y18, sufficient clearance between the clamps is maintained to give access to the set screws 14, the spacing of these screws along the ledge 12 being determined by the location of the spaces between clamps. Thus without having to remove the clamps 15, the vertical elevation of the knife 10 may be adjustably maintained, and furthermore, access tothe lower edge ofthe knife 10 is permitted whereby'the knife may be engaged in lifting it out from and inV returning it to between the clamps 15 and the bar 11.

The clamps 15 rest on the top side of the ledge 12 and their upper knife contacting surfaces are brought around against the knife by turning lthe screws 20 to travel through the lower ends of the clamps to bear compressivelyagainst the bar 11 thus rocking'the upper ends of the clamps backwardly with the undersides of the heads of the bolts'20 serving Vas fulcrums.

Now by a suitable combination of adjusting thebolts 20 and the screws 21*` the clamps may be brought against the knife 10 in'to a uniform contact therewith throughout the entire area from top to bottom of the faces of the clamps. The uniformi-ty ofthis contact is readily determined by employing feeler gages within the spaces between clamps and attempt-ing to slip the gages-'between the knife and each clamp. If a clamp engages the knife along its top edge only, the knife is thus not pressed by its lower edge against the bar 11 and the knife may tend Vto rock Vover the top edge of the bar 11 since the lower edge of the knife mayspring toward the clamp, andlikewise; ifthe clamp presses againstthe lower-part only of theknifethen the top part of the knife may spring toward the clamp. Either'- of these conditionsis positively detectedk by' a jfeelergag'e, and the bolts 20 and screws 21 may accordingly be adjusted.

Thus by, in effect, slotting the knife clamps and employing a solid knife without slots, I am able to determine and correct any inaccuracy of adjustment of individual clamps; to make vertical adjustments of the knife and to grasp the knife between clamps upon removing and replacing it; and to use a knife until ground away beyond a supportable width, all without having to remove the clamps from the knife bar. While I have here shown and described my invention in its preferred form, it is obvious that structural changes may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I, therefore, do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations as may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a veneer cutting machine knife holding device, a knife and means for holding the knife in a vertical operating position comprising a knife bar, a ledge extending from the bar, a plurality of knife contacting clamps, shoulders on the clamps adapted to rest on said ledge, bolts slidably passed 'through the clamps and screw-threadedly engaged in said bar below the under edge of said knife, said clamps yextending to below said ledge forwardly of said bar, means for making the clamps rockable on the bolts and set screws screw-threadedly passing through the clamps below said ledge and abutting said bar, said knife being carried between said bar and said clamps above said ledge, and said clamps'being spaced along said ledge to have a space between adjacent clamps whereby access maybe had between adjacent clamps to the face and lower edge of said knife.

rest 4on said ledge, bolts slidaby passed through'the clamps and screw-threadedly engaged in said Vbar below ythe under edge of said knife, vsaid clamps extending to below said ledge forwardly-of said bar,means for making-the clampsrockable on the bolts, and

the clamps below said ledge and abutting said bar, said knife being carried between said bar and said clamps-above said ledge, and said clamps being spaced along said 'ledge to have a space between adjacent clamps whereby accessv may be hadbetween adjacent clamps to the Vface and lower edge of said knife, each of said clamps having a foot .eX- tending laterally from onev edgeto spacefthat clamp from the next adjacent clamp.

" 3. In a veneercutting machineknifehold- .setscrews screw-threadedly passing through ing device, a knife and means for holding the knife in a vertical operating position coma prising a knife bar, a ledge extending from t the bar, a plurality of knife contacting clamps, shoulders on the clamps adapted to rest on said ledge, bolts slidaby passed through the clamps and screw-threadedly engaged in said bar below the under edge of said knife, said clamps extending to below said ledge forwardly of said bar, means for making the clamps rockable on the bolts and set screws screw-threadedly passing through the clamps below said ledge and abutting said bar, said knife being carried between said bar and said clamps above said ledge, set screws through the ledge against the lower edge of the knife to adjust the knife and said clamps being spaced along said ledge to have a space between adjacent clamps whereby access may be had between adjacent clamps to the last named set screws and to the face and lower edge of said knife, and a plurality of set screws carried by said ledge vertically disposed in line with the under edge of said knife, each of said last screws being located opposite a space between adjacent clamps whereby the screws may be raised or lowered to adjust said knife without having to remove said clamps.

Il. In a veneer cutting machine knife holding device, a knife, a knife bar, a ledge extending from the bar, a plurality of knife contacting clamps, shoulders onV the clamps adapted to rest on said ledge, bolts slidably passed through the clamps and screw-threadedly engaged in said bar below the under edge of said knife, said clamps extending to below said ledge forwardly of said bar, and set screws screw-threadedly passing through the clamps below said ledge and abutting said bar, said knife being carried vertically between said bar and said clamps above said ledge, set screws through the ledge against the lower edge of the knife to adjust the knife and said clamps being spaced along said ledge to have a space between adjacent clamps whereby access may be had between adjacent clamps to the last named set screws and to the face and lower edge of said knife, said clamps f. being recessed about the forward and under sides of said ledge to give clearance therearound, and said bolts having heads engaging the clamps with substantially spherical surfaces.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

Louis F. Koss, JR. 

